Court Cases

This case raises the question of when, if ever, a victim of domestic violence who obtains a court order of protection can sue for damages caused by the failure of police officers who ignore repeated pleas to enforce that order.

This lawsuit, filed May 2, 2008, against Denver and the United States Secret Service on behalf of 12 national and local advocacy organizations, seeks to protect the First Amendment rights of individual and organizations that wish to express their views about issues of public concern during the time of the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, 2008.

Colorado Christian University (CCU) challenges a Colorado program that provides tuition assistance to college students but exempts students who are attending an education institution classified as “pervasively sectarian.” CCU did not challenge its classification as “pervasively sectarian.” Instead, it argues that Colorado’s statute violates CCU’s right to the free exercise of religion and its right to equal protection of the laws.

This lawsuit asserts that Colorado Springs violated the First Amendment when it denied a request from six peace and justice activists that they be permitted to hold signs on the public sidewalk across from the Broadmoor Hotel for one hour during the NATO conference that was held on October 8-9, 2003.

This lawsuit against Denver Police Chief Gerald Whitman seeks disclosure of the records of an internal investigation into allegations that Denver police officers engaged in racial profiling, harassment, and used excessive force in an encounter with an African American resident of Denver in April 2002.

For many years, a Colorado statute has provided that persons on parole—approximately 6000 in Colorado—are forbidden to vote or to register to vote. C.R.S. § 1-2-103(4). This class action, filed in 2005 on behalf of approximately 6000 Colorado parolees, asserts that this statute violates the Colorado Constitution.

On March 5, 2003, Governor Owens signed Senate Bill 03-176, which terminates Medicaid benefits to approximately 3500 indigent legal immigrants. Before the cuts could take effect on April 1, the ACLU and other organizations filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Colorado violates the Equal Protection Clause by terminating benefits to legal immigrants while continuing to provide medical assistance to similarly situated citizens.